In regards to the posts that are griping about pricing, Hasbro, TRU, etc…I personally would rather pay $10 for a very well done figure loaded with details than one lacking in details/articulation at $6-7. TRU is setting their price higher, not Hasbro. Blaming Hasbro is total fan boy BS. Hasbro sets the MSRP (Manufacturers Suggested Retail Price). If TRU wants to charge more for the items they carry that's their decision, that's their business model. They may lose business because of it but if the current pegs are any sign, they are moving. So they are making more money on them because people are willing to pay the higher price. It's called Capitalism, more power to them! These figures are not cheap to produce and stores like TRU need charge more to make up the difference from their competitors and their own overhead expenses. They do not have as many stores as Target and Wal-Mart so they do not have purchasing power as the big boys. They need to make 55+ points on items like these. Contrary to popular belief, Hasbro is not in business to make Star wars figures just for the hell of satisfying out collections. They make them to make money. Same goes for TRU, it's called a business, they happen to deal in toys which we like to buy. It's still a business anyway you cut it.

I am so sick of the blame the big business attitude. It's nauseating.

Your not victims people, your frugal and base your desired pricing on feelings. They need to be based in reality, that reality has been confirmed by Hasbro. They clearly stated in order to make new figures they need to charge at least $8 while the other lines can be $7. I am happy that they did not abandon the movie line in lieu of the CWs line. We are still getting new figures and vehicles that hit a new level of detail, they are great! Too many collectors act as if they "HAVE TO" buy this stuff. You don't. Everything is expensive now and it's only going to get worse, choose your poison. Most stores will charge $8-$9 so be patient and buy them there. I consider the higher TRU price a premium for breaking the street date, I was happy to pay it to get them early. TRU also saved me money as I got free shipping on my recent orders. Had I bought these from BBTS like I normally do I would have actually paid more.

I think you made a lot of good points. Price is going to go up. People don't have to buy stuff. etc.

But if people want to come on a SW site and complain a little about how much they spend on toys then let them.

Your points are good, but most of us don't need a speech about why we can't complain (which I haven't, at least not about the Vintage figs, so once again I'm sticking my nose where it maybe doesn't belong).

« Last Edit: July 14, 2010, 03:16 PM by GrandMoffNick »

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"A dog doesn't care if you're rich or poor, clever or dull, smart or dumb. Give him your heart and he'll give you his. How many people can you say that about, how many people can make you feel rare?"

These "vintage" price points are nothing compared to the real vintage carded figures. I've dabbled alittle bit in the carded vintage side of the hobby and it gets very expensive really fast. I recently traded most of my average-poor condition carded vintage figures for some really nice 12" boxed vintage to try to stem this expensive part of the hobby. Plus, it's really hard to find any affordable decent condition carded vintage figures anyway, so I'm looking forward to this new wave.

I think you made a lot of good points. Price is going to go up. People don't have to buy stuff. etc.

But if people want to come on a SW site and complain a little about how much they spend on toys then let them.

Your points are good, but most of us don't need a speech about why we can't complain (which I haven't, at least not about the Vintage figs, so once again I'm sticking my nose where it maybe doesn't belong).

I agree wholeheartedly. I love JD and it's complainers, nothing personal with my post. I wanted to come to the site to complain about the complainers to hopefully put a couple points into perspective. Sorry about the length of the post it was a speech in retrospect.

Yeah, I don't have any gripes about the pricing really, and I totally agree it is worth the extra $1 or two to have them "early".

I just wish Hasbro would tell their reps to advise TRU it is ok to put these all out on the shelves. Not sure these next 3 weeks are really THAT critical to the success of the line that they need to enforce that street date anymore. Seems like one of those things that works only if everyone is observant, which clearly has not been the case.

These "vintage" price points are nothing compared to the real vintage carded figures. I've dabbled alittle bit in the carded vintage side of the hobby and it gets very expensive really fast. I recently traded most of my average-poor condition carded vintage figures for some really nice 12" boxed vintage to try to stem this expensive part of the hobby. Plus, it's really hard to find any affordable decent condition carded vintage figures anyway, so I'm looking forward to this new wave.

Vintage figures when they were new in 1980 cost about $2.95 at TRU. Now the "New" vintage costs $9.99 at the same place. If we take inflation into consideration from 1980 to 2010 these things should cost $7.81.

Vintage figures when they were new in 1980 cost about $2.95 at TRU. Now the "New" vintage costs $9.99 at the same place. If we take inflation into consideration from 1980 to 2010 these things should cost $7.81.

That's an interesting point. However, what would a SW figure with 14 points of articulation, and many paint opps have cost in 1980? This isn't bread or milk, or Coke. We're getting a much, much more involved product.

I think part of the complaining about the price comes from our fractured "wants" as collectors. Some want cloth goods, 5 layers of paint aps, working holsters, ball jointed elbows, and everything else I'm forgetting. Some like the animated look, others only want realistic. Others keep them carded, so articulation is moot, but card art or photography is important. Some are openers, and stand them up in rows, so packaging and articulation may be back burner items. That leaves a lot of people unhappy no matter what the big H makes, or how much it costs.

In my biggest collecting days, I was an opener, and army builder. The troops pretty much stood in formation, so articulation was cool, but almost no knees have ever been put in the "bent" position. I would rather pay $5 for a reasonable likeness with less articulation than 7-8 (or more) for features, packaging, pack ins, etc that I don't personally use.

I guess my only point is, no matter which road Hasbro takes, some will love it and the price will mean less, and others will find fault, and have a harder time justifying any price but clearance.

That's an interesting point. However, what would a SW figure with 14 points of articulation, and many paint opps have cost in 1980? This isn't bread or milk, or Coke. We're getting a much, much more involved product.

Kind of apples/oranges though, as production techniques/technology then is miles and miles worse. Plastics have improved in quality, machinery has improved in quality/efficiency, paint aps methods, packaging technology... You're talking 30 years of advancement in manufacturing technology. If you talked to people from the old Hasbro/Kenner days, compared to now, you'd be amazed at the differences in production.

Actually SW figures were $1.99 around here in 1980 too... or at least that's what I recall seeing the most. GI Joes cost about the same too (a little more I think, maybe $2.99?), and were superior in many ways and there were more of them to boot.

I think a lot of the pricing boils to sales/production numbers then, today. CW is outselling the realistic line, and so it got a price drop because (partially) of that. 2005 the line had one of the best years in sales and the prices dropped accordingly. The more you make and move, the lower the price will go, ultimately.

I agree. I'm ok with the price hike for TVC, because it's not a mainstream, kid oriented line. It's a niche market product. While I have yet to buy any because they are 11.46 at my local NY area TRUs, I will gladly buy them for 9.99 when they hit other stores.

I'm ok with the pricepoint but will most likely wait it out to buy the entire wave at either Target or Wal-Mart. I won't be able to resist a few of them for higher price like Bespin Luke and Hoth Leia if I see them first at TRU. I will wait on Cloud Car Pilot and AT-AT Commander and Dak Ralter though.

I agree. I'm ok with the price hike for TVC, because it's not a mainstream, kid oriented line. It's a niche market product. While I have yet to buy any because they are 11.46 at my local NY area TRUs, I will gladly buy them for 9.99 when they hit other stores.

To be clear, I'm NOT ok with $9.99. I didn't want that to get confused or anything. To me, they're overpriced. If they were very limited production, I can see it, but by all accounts and (as has been mentioned before me), the MSRP set by Hasbro is $7.99, which was confirmed at Toy Fair. There SHOULDN'T be any price-hike at all, compared to 2009, 2008, etc. They should be $7.99 according to a number of sources. I think TRU's just simply not ignorant of their situation of having them first, and are taking advantage using their sales and whatnot.

To me, I walked away from a case at $9.99 each. I don't regret that. They were just too much to me. I don't see Hasbro cutting production down on these tremendously to justify the price. They're still the "basic line". Hasbro's just now juggling a couple lines, and one's doing better than the other.

Supposedly the "Deluxe" Vintage stuff in the past was shorter production runs. I can sort of see it too. They were in a more complex package, which cost more. They were clearly not produced in the same numbers because they didn't have the same allotted pegspace everywhere. They seemed to not reship like basic figures. These new vintage are a "basic" line though, so I'm biding my time for $7.99 (or less).

I think that's something each collector has to decide themselves though. I think GrandMoffNick summed up everything very well with his post. Some guys wait for clearances on stuff. To me, that's their right. It's all in what the business world calls perceived value. I didn't buy a BMF for anywhere near $150. I got mine for $60 and waited a long time to get it. To me, that's all I was really willing to buy it at. I got a Turbo Tank for $40 at (of all places) K-Mart. It's all I was really willing to pay. I shelled out $100 for my first AT-TE though, and $44 or whatever it was for my first AT-ST or three.

I'd still compare a 1980 Star Wars figures to a modern 14pt Star Wars figure and call them equivalent. The state of the art now is 14pt while back then it was 5pt. These new "vintage" come with almost no accessories just like the originals. Please remember the first version of these new "vintage" figures came in clam shells and listed for $9.99. There is nothing special about these figures that hasn't been standard for the last few years. Just because they have the original cardbacks doesn't make them special. It just means Hasbro is out of original ideas.

I'll admit, I paid $9.99 for some of the vintage collection at our local TRU, but I guess I was a little impatient. The combination of the ESB "theme", the spiffy cardbacks, and the long lull of not buying anything Star Wars (virtually nothing all year), and they hooked me in. So, obviously, I'd pay $9.99 (and did), but I do think the suggested price of $7.99 is more in line with what they should be. I do think it is a little more of a niche line than something like Clone Wars, and we may see it getting more and more that way over the next couple years. I'm really interested to see how "The Vintage Collection" does overall, since we continually hear how poor selling the Legacy stuff was. I don't like paying $9.99 either, it does seem a bit steep, but if we did get to the point where the line was drastically cut down to between 20-40 new figures a year - with fewer made overall, I could see where it could lead that way.